In order to support a golf flag pole within a golf cup, the flag pole is typically attached to a ferrule, which is usually formed from a soft metal, such as aluminum, zinc or a zinc alloy, at a lower end of the flag pole. The metal ferrule facilitates insertion of the flag pole into a receiving hole positioned in the center of the golf cup, which is often fabricated out of plastic. In this manner, the flag pole is positioned to display the pin flag and hole location to an approaching golfer.
When the traditional metal ferrule is received in the plastic golf cup hole, there can be a tendency for the two components to stick together. When this occurs, golfers can pull a portion of or the entire golf cup out of the ground when they attempt to remove the pin. This problem is even more pronounced in a desert or high humidity environment where sand or moisture can be trapped between the cup and ferrule to allow the ferrule and cup to stick together.
In an effort to reduce sticking between the ferrule and cup, various modifications to the ferrule have been employed. For instance, ribs have been provided along the sides of the ferrule body so as to reduce the contact area between the ferrule and cup. In addition, the side walls of the ferrule have been tapered inwardly to further minimize contact area and permit easier pole removal. However, these solutions have the shortcomings that the ribs often leave insufficient contact area to provide a stable coupling, and the tapered side walls may result in excessive leaning of the flag pole or render the flag susceptible to movement even in moderate breezes.
As golf is a sport primarily undertaken outdoors, under normal weather conditions, different types of debris or other material may blow into the golf cup. Leaves, sand, small rocks, grass clippings, dirt, and the like may regularly fall into the golf cup and become trapped between the ferrule and the ferrule receiving hole. This causes debris to become jammed between the ferrule and the cup, which can cause them to stick together and even result in the golfer at least partially removing the cup from the ground. In addition, debris such as sand or rocks jammed between the plastic walls forming the receiving hole and the soft metal of the ferrule can cause damage to the cup and ferrule that expedites wear and corrosion.
The sand and dirt on a golf green often contain fragments of flint or quartz. In addition, many courses use torpedo sand—fine aggregate with sharp edges that promotes sharp, straight blades of grass—as a component of the golf green. These fragments may become lodged between the ferrule and the receiving hole, causing them to stick together and further creating abrasions as they are rubbed between the metal ferrule and the plastic sleeve. Over time, as the golf flag pole is repeatedly removed and then placed back within the receiving hole, any of these fragments lodged between the ferrule and receiving hole may wear down the plastic of the golf cup and cause damage to the soft metal ferrule and/or wear its outer diameter to a smaller dimension. All of this may result in the ferrule and inner wall of the receiving hole having insufficient contact, which leads to a flag pole that may lean, shift, or even fall under certain conditions. This corrosion and abrasion problem may necessitate periodic replacements of both the metal ferrules and the plastic golf hole cups.
Debris accumulated in the cup hole may also result in a flag pole and attached ferrule that cannot be properly inserted into the receiving hole because the debris interferes with the proper insertion of the ferrule into the hole. The situation can leave the golf flag pole insufficiently supported in the cup and may cause the pin to tilt or even fall over in a breeze. A downed or tilted pin is not useful to an approaching golfer because it provides misleading information about the exact pin location.
One attempt to address these issues involves installing a metal insert into the golf hole cup to receive the metal ferrule. While the metal insert avoids wearing the plastic cup itself through repeated removal and insertion of the ferrule, such a solution still has several drawbacks. The metal-to-metal wear can still scratch or damage the ferrule and insert, and if the ferrule metal and insert metal are different, any moisture in the cup could lead to other issues such as galvanic wear. Furthermore, the metals that are typically used for ferrules or inserts (i.e., zinc, aluminum, bronze) are still soft compared to much of the sand, rocks, or other particulate matter that commonly falls into a golf cup. Therefore, even with a metal insert this debris can still lead to scratches, small deformations, and accelerated wear and corrosion of the metal ferrule and metal insert.
Accordingly, there is a desire for a mounting device for a flag pole and a golf cup that provides wear resistance and allows ease of pole insertion and removal without disturbing the cup embedded within the ground.